Under the retro sentiment of all things old are new again, seeing the Freewrite Traveler reminds me of Osborne 1. Back in April while at WordCamp Raleigh 2019, I came across seeing the one in the display case I’m including while at the College of Engineering at NC State University’s Centennial Campus.
Somewhere around 1985-ish I had an Osborne 1. If you are already nodding your head recognizing it you are probably already seeing where I’m going with my post today. We will come back and look at the Osborne 1 shortly.
The Freewrite Traveler reminds me of Osborne 1
We all know the adage, something old is new again. Those are my thoughts seeing the Freewrite Traveler – available August 2019. It is at the Indiegogo site currently in the Prototype Stage. Currently, the Perks available are on sale! And check out the sale at their site too.
“After a brief attempt to make an internet-connected Clapper, the Astrohaus team is going back to its roots with a new distraction-free typewriter. Today, it’s introducing the follow-up to the original Freewrite: the foldable Freewrite Traveler. It’s designed to be more portable while still allowing users to type on the go and save their work to the cloud. The core idea of giving writers a place to write without the temptation of a browser or apps is the same.”
Osborne 1
The reason the Freewrite Traveler reminds me of Osborne 1 is I recall that same sense of excitement for portability. Reading the Overview features, some of the same ones jump out at me, i.e. the small screen and full-size keyboard.
I’m including this image of the Osborne 1 from Wikipedia. At the time purchasing it, I recall they were taking typewriters in for a “trade-in”!
From Wikipedia: “The Osborne 1 was the first commercially successful portable microcomputer, released on April 3, 1981, by Osborne Computer Corporation. It weighed 10.7 kg (24.5 lb), cost US$1,795, and ran the CP/M 2.2 operating system”
My thanks to my WordCamp Raleigh buddy for taking the photos of the Osborne 1.
Thank you for joining me today for this whimsical look back bringing it back to now. I love the design of the Freewrite Traveler – have fun exploring it!
Oh, and my old Osborne 1? I gave it to a student at work on their summer internship excitedly adding to their personal computer collection of “old” models!
Anchors Aweigh,
Helen
P.S. The AnchoredScraps daily blog post countdown to 1600 continues with today being #1544.
Attribution & Thank you to the following who I am referencing today
Indiegogo
College of Engineering at NC State University’s Centennial Campus
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